LITTLE LEAGUE SOFTBALL: Sunnyside denies Granada Hills' 12-under all-stars first trip to World Series

SAN BERNARDINO -- Yanira Acuna remembered the feeling of watching the winning run score in last year's Little League Western Regional softball final.

Acuna witnessed the deciding run being scored again Friday in the regional championship at Al Houghton Stadium, only this time it was the 12-under all-star team from Sunnyside of Tucson, Ariz., that was doing the celebrating.

After Sunnyside suffered a one-run loss last summer to Kapolei, Hawaii, with a Little League World Series berth on the line, the Arizona state champions didn't leave anything to chance against previously unbeaten Granada Hills, delivering a 12-2, four-inning victory.

"I wanted another chance. Last year, I had the opportunity and I didn't see it all the way through," said Acuna, one of four Sunnyside players returning from last year's regional runner-up roster.

"Even though we didn't win the first time (against Granada Hills), we knew we could still get to the final. It's a wonderful feeling."

Sunnyside collected eight hits against Murphy -- including home runs from Destyni Payan and Arlett Arreola -- in the rematch, with Angel Sallas enforcing the 10-run mercy rule with an RBI single that scored Payan in the fourth.

"The first game they were swinging at the rise ball, the drop ball, at everything. (Ashley) was striking them out and getting them to pop up," Granada Hills manager Jennifer Murphy said. "We knew they were a great hitting team, they were just a little undisciplined last time. We knew they were the team to beat and they showed it."

Granada Hills, the first local team to reach the 12-under regional final since Burbank in 2010, took a 2-1 lead in the second with Lauren Lau's groundout scoring Caitlyn Pineda and Malia Risdall's sacrifice fly driving in Rebecca Gurrola, who had the only two hits against Acuna.

Payan led off the bottom of the inning with an inside-the-park home run to tie it, then Jazmine Ayala followed with a two-run triple and Arreola belted a two-run inside-the-park homer for a 7-2 advantage.

"Last time we played them, we made a lot of errors and mistakes, but we got it out of our system," Arreola said. "We weren't playing our 'A' game the first time, but we felt comfortable and confident about our chances in this game. We wanted to win this division."

Acuna, who scored three runs, had a two-run double in the third and Arreola added a two-run single for an 11-2 lead for Sunnyside, which became the first team from Arizona to reach the Little League World Series since San Xavier of Tucson in 2002.

"They're a very talented team," Jennifer Murphy said. "They have the experience, they have great hitters and they're very skilled players. They're a great team to send to the World Series."

Sunnyside will open the World Series on Aug. 8 in Portland, Ore., against Canada. Granada Hills will look back on a historic summer that included District 40, Section 2 and Division 3 titles.

"Just to get (to the regionals) is amazing," Jennifer Murphy said. "Everything after that was bonus time and we've been on bonus time for a long time. I just want them to remember they got this far. There's a lot to take home from this."